WHY I LEFT

THE LEFT
DAVE RUBIN

Do you believe in free speech?

Do you believe that people should be judged by their character, not their skin color?

Do you believe in freedom of religion?

If you believe these things, youre probably not a progressive. You might think youre a
progressive. I used to think I was. My show, The Rubin Report, was originally part of the
progressive Young Turks network.

Progressives struck me as liberals, but louder. Progressives were the nice guys; they looked
out for the little guy; they cared about women and minorities; they embraced change.

In short, who wouldnt want to be a progressive?

But over the last couple years, the meaning of the word progressive has changed.

Progressives used to say, I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your
right to say it. Not anymore.

Banning speakers whose opinions you dont agree with from college campuses thats
not progressive. Prohibiting any words not approved of as politically correct thats not
progressive. Putting Trigger Warnings on books, movies, music, anything that might offend
people thats not progressive either.

All of this has led me to be believe that much of the left is no longer progressive, but regressive.
This is one of the reasons Ive spent so much time on my show talking about The Regressive
Left.

This regressive ideology doesnt judge people as individuals, but as a collective.

If youre black, or female, or Muslim, or Hispanic, or a member of any other minority group,
youre judged differently than the most evil of all things: a white, Christian male. The Regressive
Left ranks minority groups in a pecking order to compete in a kind of Oppression Olympics.
Gold medal goes to the most offended.

Martin Luther King, Jr.s dream that his children would be judged by their character and not
their skin color was a liberal idea, but these days, its not a progressive ideal.
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And what about religious freedom - the idea that no one else can tell you what you have to
believe? Surely progressives still support that basic right.

Well, not so much.

Im a married gay man, so you might think that I appreciate the government forcing a Christian
baker or photographer or florist to act against their religion in order to cater, photograph or
decorate my wedding. But youd be wrong. A government that can force Christians to violate
their conscience can force me to violate mine. If a baker wont bake you a cake, find another
baker; dont demand that the state tell him what to do with his private business.

Im pro-choice. But a government that can force a group of Catholic nuns - literally called the
Little Sisters of the Poor - to violate their faith and pay for abortion-inducing birth control can
force anyone to do anything.

Thats not progressive; thats regressive!

Todays progressivism has become a faux-moral movement, hurling charges of racism,

bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia and a slew of other meaningless buzzwords
at anyone they disagree with.

The battle of ideas has been replaced by a battle of feelings, and outrage has replaced
honesty. Diversity reigns supreme as long as its not that pesky diversity of thought.

This isnt the recipe for a free society, its a recipe for authoritarianism.

For these reasons, I can no longer call myself a progressive. I dont really call myself a Democrat
either. Im a classical liberal. A free thinker. And, as much as I dont like to admit it, defending
my liberal values has suddenly become a conservative position.

So, if you think people should be able to say what they think without being punished for it;
that people should be judged by their behavior, not their skin color; and that people should be
able to live the way that they want to live, without government interference, then theres not
much left on the left for you.

Ill keep trying to explain that to progressives until Im totally left out.

Im Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report for Prager University.

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